KR20170041892A - Nested micro-marketplaces within an online marketplace - Google Patents

Abstract

A system and method for a nested micro marketplace is presented in an online marketplace. In some embodiments, a method is provided that may include accessing a product listing for a product in an online marketplace provided by the merchant. The method includes accessing a first price (a price applicable to a first group of users associated with an online marketplace) in a product listing provided by a seller, a second price in a product listing A price applicable to the second group of users who are discounted at the first price for the second group due to intimacy with the seller of the first group) A proposal at a second price or a proposal at a second price from a second group).

Description

NESTED MICRO-MARKETPLACES WITHIN AN ONLINE MARKETPLACE

RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of priority of U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14 / 460,302, filed on August 14, 2014, which is incorporated herein by reference.

COPYRIGHT NOTICE

Some of the contents of this patent document include data that are subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner does not object to facsimile reproduction of another patent or patent disclosure, as indicated in the Patent Office's patent files or records, but retains all other copyrights. The following notice (all copyrights held by eBay from 2014: Copyright 2014, eBay Inc. All Rights Reserved) applies to software and data as described in the following sections and drawings, which are a part of this document.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention disclosed herein generally relates to consumer transactions in a virtual marketplace. In some exemplary embodiments, the present invention is directed to a system and method for a nested micro-marketplace within an online marketplace.

Sellers in online marketplaces can have preferences when selling a product to a customer. For example, as is often the case, sellers will be more willing to offer discounts when selling the same item to a family member or close friend than to selling something to another person. Another example is that if you sell to a nearby neighbor, you do not have to pay for shipping, so you can sell the same item to your neighbors, You may be willing to discount the item. While this type of transaction may occur naturally in an interpersonal or face-to-face environment, a merchant who sells many commodity items on an online marketplace that drives traffic from thousands or millions of viewers may consider discounting potential customers on a case-by-case basis It suffers from great difficulties. Thus, in an online marketplace setting, it may be desirable to encourage the sale of goods by multiple subgroups.

Some embodiments are illustrated by way of example in the figures of the accompanying drawings, but are not limited thereto.
1 is a block diagram illustrating a network architecture suitable for facilitating a nested micro marketplace within an online marketplace, in accordance with some illustrative embodiments.
2 is a block diagram illustrating a mobile device suitable for facilitating a nested micro marketplace within an online marketplace, in accordance with some illustrative embodiments.
Figure 3 is an illustration of a nested micromarket place, in accordance with some exemplary embodiments.
4 is an illustration of an online marketplace having a plurality of micromarket places, in accordance with some exemplary embodiments.
5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a product listing using a micromarketplace, in accordance with some exemplary embodiments.
Figure 6 is another view illustrating an example of a product listing using a micromarketplace, in accordance with some exemplary embodiments.
7 is a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary operation for using a micromarketplace, in accordance with some exemplary embodiments.
8 is a block diagram illustrating components of a machine that can read instructions from a machine-readable medium and perform one or more of the methodologies discussed herein, in accordance with some example embodiments.

Aspects of the present invention are presented to enable a nested micro-marketplace in an online marketplace environment. The micromarket placements used herein may refer to a group of individuals and / or entities having at least a first commonality with one another. The group containing this micromarket may be affiliated to a larger group of individuals and / or individuals having a second commonality among the larger overall groups and may be affiliated with other individuals within a larger group that are not part of the micromarket place and / This micro marketplace is a nested type in that it does not have or share the first commonality. In some exemplary embodiments, the merchant may provide the product to an online marketplace for sale. The seller can set a first price for the product applied to the first group in the online marketplace. The seller may set a second price for the same product that applies to the second group in the online marketplace and the second price may be discounted from the first price because the second group has an intimate relationship with the seller. In some exemplary embodiments, the second group may be a subset of the first group. In some exemplary embodiments, a plurality of nested micromarket places can be specified by the seller, and the second micromarket place is specified as a subgroup of the first micromarket place. The first and second micro marketplaces apply different price lists or discounts for the same product. In some exemplary embodiments, the micromarket place may be enabled by the seller in the context of an auction. These and other explanations will be described in more detail below.

Referring to Figure 1, in accordance with some exemplary embodiments, a high-level client-server-based network architecture 100 is shown. The network architecture 100 may include systems, applications, modules and / or other means for utilizing aspects of the present invention as would be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art. For example, network architecture 100 may include means for facilitating a nested micro marketplace in an online marketplace environment, in accordance with aspects of the present invention. These settings may be integrated into the product list and displayed via software to the potential customer via the network 104. [ In some exemplary embodiments, network system 102 facilitates network-based marketplace system (s) 120 to provide network 104 (e.g., the Internet or a wide area network (WAN) Side functionality to one or more of the client devices 110 and 112. The server- For example, Figure 1 illustrates a web client 106 (e.g., a browser such as an Internet Explorer® browser developed by Microsoft®) and a programmatic client (eg, a browser) running on each client device 110 and 112 108). The network based marketplace system (s) 120 may include a web site or other central repository to store and display product listings containing information based on the nested micro marketplace.

Examples of client devices 110 and 112 include but are not limited to mobile phones, desktop computers, laptops, portable digital assistants (PDAs), smartphones, tablets, ultrabooks, netbooks, laptops, , Processor-based or programmable consumer electronics, game consoles, handheld gaming systems, set-top boxes or users to access network system 102 But is not limited to, any other communication device capable of communicating over a network. Exemplary client devices 110 and 112 may coincide with the mobile device 200 shown in FIG. In some cases, client devices 110 and 112 may be controlled by a vendor that sells products online via network system 102. In other cases, client devices 110 and 112 may be controlled by potential customers accessing network system 102 to purchase products online. In another embodiment, the client device 110 may include one or more of a touch screen, accelerometers, gyroscopes, cameras, microphones, GPS (Global Positioning System) devices, and the like. In some embodiments, the network system 102 may respond to requests for product listings, issue publications that include a list of product items available in the network-based marketplace, and make payments for these marketplace transactions Managed, network-based marketplace. The product list may include an indication that the user 105 is a member of a micro marketplace and may receive a discount form for a particular product if purchased. One or more users 105 may be other means for interacting with a person, machine, or client device 110 and 112. In an embodiment, user 105 may interact with network architecture 100 through client devices 110 and 112 or other means, although it is not part of network architecture 100.

Application server interface (API) server 114 and web server 116 may be coupled to one or more application servers 118 to provide a program interface and a web interface, respectively, to these one or more application servers 180. The application server 118 is one or more marketplace systems 120 that may include one or more modules or applications and may be implemented as hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. Application server 118 is shown connected to one or more database servers 124 that in turn enable access to one or more information stores or database (s) In some exemplary embodiments, the database 126 is a storage device that stores information (e.g., publications or listings, images of products, etc.) to be posted to the marketplace system (s) Database system 126 may store digital merchandise information in accordance with an exemplary embodiment.

Marketplace system (s) 120 may provide colorful marketplace functions and services to users 105 accessing network system 102. For example, the marketplace system 120 may facilitate participation in a nested micro marketplace in an online marketplace environment. Although marketplace system (s) 120 are shown in Figure 1 to form part of network system 102, in an alternative embodiment, marketplace system (s) 120 may be differentiated from network system 102 Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > services. ≪ / RTI >

Also, although the client-server based network architecture 100 shown in FIG. 1 uses a client-server architecture, the subject matter of the present invention is of course not limited to such an architecture, Peer-to-peer architecture system. ≪ RTI ID = 0.0 > The various marketplace system (s) 120 may be implemented as standalone software programs that do not necessarily have networking capabilities.

The web client 106 accesses the various marketplace system (s) 120 via a web interface supported by the web server 116. Likewise, the programmatic client 108 accesses the various services and functions provided by the marketplace system (s) 120 via the programmatic interface provided by the API server 114. The programmatic client 108 allows the merchant to create and manage listings on the network system 102 in an offline manner and to provide a delivery mode between the programmatic client 108 and the network system 102, (e. g., a Turbo Lister application developed by eBay < (R) > Inc.) that enables batch-mode communications to be performed.

In addition, the third party application (s) 128 running on the third party server (s) 130 are connected to the network system 102 via the programmatic interface provided by the API server 114. [ As shown in FIG. For example, application (s) 128 using information retrieved from network system 102 may support one or more features or functions on a web site hosted by a third party. The third party web site may provide one or more promotions, marketplaces or payment functions, for example, supported by the associated application of the network system 102. The third party server (s) 130 may be configured to display advertisements on the client devices 110 and 112 based on information associated with one or more unique user identifiers, To facilitate the sale of products associated with < RTI ID = 0.0 > a < / RTI >

2, a block diagram illustrating a mobile device 200 is presented in accordance with some exemplary embodiments. The mobile device 200 may be configured to facilitate participation in a nested micro marketplace, at least in accordance with some exemplary embodiments. The mobile device 200 may be configured to access a list of products listing a plurality of prices for a single product based on a user's affiliation to one or more micromarket places. The mobile device 200 may be configured to input information for setting one or more micromarket places. The application (s) 240 running on the mobile device 200 may utilize the information communicated to one or more micromarket places and generate a product listing reflecting the above information via the display 250. The mobile device 200 may include a processor 210. The processor 210 may be any of a variety of commercially available processors suitable for the mobile device 200 (e.g., an XScale architecture microprocessor, a MIPS (Microprocessor without Interlocked Pipeline Stages) architecture processor or other type of processor) . The processor 210 may be configured to operate the application (s) 240 and access information associated with the one or more micromarket places. A memory 220, such as random access memory (RAM), flash memory or other type of memory, is typically accessible to the processor 210. The memory 220 may store the operating system (OS) 230 as well as the application (s) 240, such as a mobile application for performing consumer transactions using information delivered to a micro-marketplace Can be adapted. The processor 210 may be connected to one or more input / output (I / O) devices 260, such as a display 250 and a keypad, touch panel sensor, microphone, controller, camera, etc., Likewise, in some embodiments, the processor 210 may be coupled to a transceiver 270 that interfaces with the antenna 280. The transceiver 270 may be configured to transmit or receive a cellular network signal, a wireless data signal, or other type of signal via the antenna 280. [ In this manner, a connection with a network such as the network 104 of FIG. 1 may be established.

Referring to FIG. 3, a diagram 300 illustrates a simple example of a nested micromarket place according to some exemplary embodiments. Here, circle 310 may represent the entire public online marketplace. For example, circle 310 may represent all users with an online account of a website that specializes in online marketplace such as Amazon.com or eBay.com. In other cases, the circle 310 simply indicates the number of online users for the online marketplace. The public online marketplace can be managed by the network system 102. The API server 114, the web server 116, the application server (s) 118, and the database server 124 may facilitate traffic between the online merchant and the online customer as illustrated in FIG. The marketplace system (s) 120 may be configured to generate a product listing for the merchant in a public online marketplace. In some cases, the seller may specify information in his / her product list via computerized means, such as mobile device 200. In some cases, the customer may access the product listings of the public online marketplace via computerized means such as the mobile device 200. In existing online product listings, users or sellers who sell products online generally can not classify and classify potential customers. In other words, sellers using the online marketplace generally treat all users the same. For example, sellers generally do not know where their audience is, whether they live 2,000 miles away, or 2 miles away. If the seller knows where the customer is located, he or she may be able to offer discounts to some customers whose shipping costs decrease. However, even if the seller knows where the audience is, the seller generally does not have the ability to adjust the price for potential customers who live close to him.

However, in some exemplary embodiments, the merchant may specify a subgroup of potential customers among the global groups represented by circles 310, which represent the superposition type micromarket place 320 . As shown, a smaller ellipse is located inside the larger circle 310 to illustrate how the nested micro marketplace 320 is a subgroup of total users represented by circles 310. In addition to the previous example, the nested micro marketplace 320 has an online account for an online marketplace and can represent all potential customers within the nearby ZIP code of the merchant's location. As another example, the nested micro marketplace 320 may be a group of individuals that are specifically identified to the seller in a unique way. For example, the nested micro marketplace 320 may represent all users of the online marketplace, which is a college alumnus of the same college graduated from the seller. As another example, the nested micro marketplace 320 may represent a user belonging to an organization or association that is common with the seller.

Referring to FIG. 4, a diagram 400 illustrates another exemplary micro marketplace that may be specified by a seller in accordance with some exemplary embodiments. For example, an exemplary embodiment may include a nested hierarchy of micromarket places. The sub-group 410 may be specific to the seller's friends and family and may represent all listed users. Thus, the buddies and family subgroup 410 may represent a nested micromarket place within a larger global on-line marketplace denoted by circle 310. In addition, the lower group 420 in the lower group 410 may represent another micro market place in the lower group 410. In this case, the sub-group 420 may represent all the siblings of the seller who are sub-groups of the seller's friends and family groups.

As another example of a nested micromarket place, the two subgroups may represent their own nested micromarket place, but may also have commonalities forming another layer of the micromarket place. For example, subgroup 430 may represent all college students who have an account in an online marketplace. Also, the subgroup 440 may represent all online users located within an area that is local to the seller's location. In some cases, some online users are college students and are located in a localized area of the merchant and can belong to both categories. This common area may be represented by an area 445 in which the ellipses used to specify the lower groups 430 and 440 overlap.

Another example of a nested micromarket place includes a group 450 in which a portion of a user participates in a public online marketplace and a portion of a user participates only in a private marketplace separated from a public marketplace, . A private marketplace can also be online, but it can be private, for example because it requires a password to join the marketplace or because it is located in an online marketplace owned by a separate company. For example, group 450 may represent a consortium of charitable organizations, some of which may participate in a public online marketplace, shown as circle 310, while others may be separate from the public online marketplace and a consortium of charitable organizations You can only participate in a limited website.

In another example of a micromarketplace, group 460 may represent a group of users that participate in a public online marketplace, at least a portion of which is denoted by circle 310, while others do not. However, the group 460 itself has blocked all participation in the disclosure settings as shown by the group 460 marked as circled circles within the open online marketplace circle 310. [ Thus, the group 460 may represent only private groups participating in the online marketplace. Exemplary private group 460 may include an association of astronomer enthusiasts who have registered online with a private chat group. They may wish their group to participate in the deal only within them. In some cases, the same network system 102 that manages the online public marketplace may manage the micromarket of group 460, but the participation of these groups is separate.

Another type of subgroup that a seller may want to specify as a micromarket is the seller's group of frequent buyers (470). The seller may wish to identify these users and provide a special discount for establishing a prior relationship with them, reward for repeat transactions and / or other reasons to recognize the seller's regular buyer.

Referring to FIG. 5, according to some exemplary embodiments, an exemplary product listing 500 illustrates how one or more micromarket places can be utilized with the rest of the online shoppers. In this example, a product listing 500 for the telescope is presented. The product list 500 may include information such as the name or title of the product, the status of the product, one or more photos, a description of the product, a suggested price, a button allowing the purchaser to purchase the item, It displays information normally found in online product listings such as merchant identities such as bars. In some exemplary embodiments, in addition to the conventional information in the product list, the potential customer viewing the product listing 500 may view information indicating whether he is a member of the nested micro marketplace and can receive a discount. For example, the seller "ScienceSeller7 " presented at block 510 may provide a number of user accounts that the seller Science Celler 7 identifies as belonging to some of his family members to an online marketplace, such as network system 102, Place system. The science seller 7 can, for example, specify this information on a separate screen that is generated by the marketplace system (s) 120 and stored in the database (s) In this way, all users listed in this group can represent the superposition type micromarket place specified by the seller science seller 7. After this information is entered, prospective customers with an account ID that belongs to the Science Cellar 7 family member list can read the product listings in the online marketplace system and understand the product listings 500. When the vendor Science Seller 7 sees the Product List 500 posted, the Network System 102 "has identified Science Seller 7 as a member of the circle of his preferred family. Quot ;, "Receive a discount of ", can be displayed to the user. Seller Science Sellers 7 may have specified that whenever one of his family members considers purchasing one of his products, the family member may receive a discount at the suggested price and in that case receive a 10% discount. Of course, other types of discounts are possible, including shipping discounts, coupons for other products from the same merchant, provision of less packaged transactions with a total cost less than the sum of the individual products, or other types of discounts apparent to the ordinary technician in the field . The network system 102 may receive input from the merchant, not the input governed by the demand and supply or other forces of the free market, including the micro-marketplace group type and the benefits that the micro marketplace can gain. have.

In another example, Seller Science Sellers 7 may specify a second nested micromarket place for members of the " Astronomers Anonymous (AA) Club. &Quot; As a member of the AA Club, Science Sellers 7 may have asked AA Club members for their account ID in the online marketplace. The Science Sellers 7 may obtain this via a conventional method such as a member who replies via e-mail or a member who records their ID on the subscription paper. The Science Sellers 7 may then specify these account ID sets as part of the micromarket place for the AA club and enter all account IDs of all the members of the AA club that provided the information to the network system 102 . In other cases, the Science Sellers 7 may create a micromarket place of the AA Club using the password via the network system 102 so that anyone who knows the password can be considered a member of the AA Club's micromarket place. Science Cellar 7 may have shared a password with the AA Club via a separate communication (email group, social media page, or personally at an AA club meeting). So if a member of an AA club buys an item from an online marketplace and sees the product list (500), the buyer says, "Are you an anonymous astronomer (AA) club member? Sign in here for a discount!" Box 530. < / RTI > A hyperlink to the login page can be linked to the word "here" to allow the buyer to enter a password or other information to receive a discount. AA members of the club can gain access to the discount by knowing the password or by having access to the password, based on the member's affiliation and interaction with Science Sellers 7. Although box 530 may be displayed for all users viewing product listings 500 in some cases, only a user who is a member of an AA club may actually use box 530 in association with an AA club.

Referring to FIG. 6, an exemplary product listing 600 illustrates how a nested micro marketplace can be used in other marketplace settings, such as an auction environment. Here, an example of the product list 600 shows a video game for sale with information similar to that shown in Fig. However, instead of the purchase price shown, the box 610 displays the current highest bid auction price and a button to participate in the bid in an attempt to win a video game. In this case, the merchant "RabidGamer 75 " shown in box 620 may provide discounts to users in one or more nested micromarket places if one of its members is won. For example, Rabid Gamer 75 may consider a purchaser of a product more than three times as a "regular buyer." Rabid gamer 75 may have entered this definition of regular buyer into network system 102. Labid gamer 75 may enter this information via a mobile device 200 or a computer device connected to network system 102 via client device 110 or 112. Network system 102 may store this information in database (s) 126 as part of the user profile of rabid gamer 75 as an example. The network system 102 may be configured to collect statistics about what product the user will purchase, from whom the user will purchase, and other marketing information that is readily apparent to a typical technician in the field. Thus, based on the specifications of Rabid Gamer 75, which constitutes a regular buyer, a user of an online public marketplace is qualified as a regular buyer according to the specification of Rabid Gamer 75 and the user is provided with a list of products provided by Rabid Gamer 75 ), Then the user will then be presented with a displayed box 630 that says, "You are a regular buyer of Rabid Gamer 75! If you win, Rabid Gamer 75 will give you a 5% discount!" . According to some exemplary embodiments, a different kind of benefit may be provided to a user who has been found to be within a particular one or more overlapping micromarket places. For example, a user in a nested micro marketplace who has won the auction may receive free shipping, discount shipping, rebates for things that the user can purchase from the seller in the future, some free products, or other types of Benefits can be provided.

Systems and devices in accordance with aspects of the present invention may facilitate different types of nested micromarket places in accordance with some exemplary embodiments. For example, the network system 102 may be configured to monitor traffic over the network sufficient to determine an approximate location of an online shopper. For example, the network system 102 may be configured to monitor and record the IP address of an online purchaser, with each IP address corresponding to some known approximate location. In this manner, the network system 102 can help determine easily whether an online shopper is living near the seller, and if an online shopper is living near the seller, purchasing the article from a seller located near the shopper To inform the online purchaser that the discount can be obtained. In another example, a university or university campus may have a predetermined IP address band so that the network system 102 can determine whether an Internet shopper is located on the campus or university. The seller may be a member of a university or a university, or may specify that a nested micro marketplace is a member of a university or a university. Thus, the network system 102 can determine whether an online buyer is a member of a seller's college or university, and if the online buyer is a member of a seller's college or university, You can tell that you can get a discount.

In some exemplary embodiments, by designating a nested micro marketplace, a seller can provide a single sale item at a plurality of time steps via an online marketplace. For example, a seller may first publish a list of products for a camera that are only available to members of one or more of the specified micromarket placements. For example, a seller may post a list of camera products that are only visible to friends and family micromarket placements and offer a 20% discount on the average price offered for similar cameras, where the average price is This is the average price based on observations of other product listings. If the seller fails to receive a proposal to purchase the camera in this first overlapping micro marketplace, after a period of time, the seller may disclose the product listing to one or more other micromarket placements and offer a 10% discount on the average price can do. If a seller does not receive a proposal to purchase a camera from these broad users, after a period of time, the seller may disclose the product list at full price to the entire online public marketplace.

Referring to FIG. 7, a flow diagram illustrates an exemplary methodology 700 for facilitating a nested micro marketplace in an online marketplace, in accordance with an aspect of the present invention. The exemplary methodology 700 may be performed by a system of online marketplaces that resides on a server, such as network system 102. Any information or data described in the exemplary methodology 700 may be stored in a memory of an online marketplace, such as database (s) Exemplary methodologies may be consistent with the methods described herein, including, for example, the description of FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6.

At block 710, the online marketplace system may access the list of products provided by the merchant for the product. Exemplary product listings may include the exemplary listings described in Figures 5 and 6, as well as other types of product listings that are apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. In some embodiments, the online marketplace system may access the product listing from a device controlled by the merchant, such as mobile device 200 or client devices 110 and 112. The online marketplace system may communicate with a device controlled by the seller via a network, such as the network 104.

At block 720, the online marketplace system may access a first price for a product of a product listing provided by a seller, the first price being applicable to a first user group associated with an online marketplace. In some exemplary embodiments, the first price may be specified by the merchant via a device controlled by the merchant and accessible to the on-line marketplace system via the network. In some exemplary embodiments, the first group may represent the entire open online marketplace associated with the online marketplace system. In this case, the first price may be a non-discounted normal price at which the seller intends to sell the product. In some exemplary embodiments, the first group may represent a nested micromarket place of a global online marketplace, the description of which is in accordance with the description herein.

At block 730, the online marketplace system has access to a second price for the product in the product listing, the second price being applicable to the second user group associated with the online marketplace, For the second group, it is discounted from the first price. In some exemplary embodiments, the second price may be specified by the merchant via a device that is controlled by the merchant and accessible to the on-line marketplace system via the network. In some exemplary embodiments, the online marketplace system may access prices associated with a second group based on information specified by the merchant through a device controlled by the merchant and accessed through the network. In some exemplary embodiments, the second group may represent a nested micromarket within the first group. In some illustrative embodiments, the seller may consider the second group as a second group of friends and family, become a member of the second group, reside near all members and a second group, Relationship. In some exemplary embodiments, the discounted price for the second group includes discounting the semen from the purchase price, discounting the purchase price on a regular basis, discounting coupons or rebates for later products, or products presented on the product list Including the discounted price for the product package to be purchased.

At block 740, the online marketplace system may display a product listing that includes first information related to the first price and second information related to the second price. In some exemplary embodiments, the product list may be displayed by the online marketplace system via one or more processors, such as a processor resident in the marketplace system (s) 120, and may be displayed on the online marketplace It can be transmitted to the display screen of the system or to a separate display screen. In some exemplary embodiments, the first information associated with the first price may include a list of first prices with an explanation of who the first price is applicable to. In some exemplary embodiments, the second information associated with the second price may include a list of second prices with an explanation of who the second price is applicable to. Other examples of first and second information may be consistent with the exemplary product listings of FIGS. 5 and 6 and the content of this disclosure, and may be consistent with other information that is apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art.

Optionally, at block 750, the online marketplace system may have access to a purchase offer for the product, which may be a proposal from a first user associated with the first group, And may be based on a second price as a proposal from a second user associated with the second group. The product purchase offer may be accessed from information originating from a device controlled by a first user or a second user, such as the client device 110 or 112 or the mobile device 200. [

8, the block diagram illustrates a machine-readable medium 822 (e.g., a non-transitory machine-readable medium, a machine-readable medium 822) in accordance with some example embodiments (800) of a machine that is capable of reading instructions (824) from a computer readable medium (e.g., a computer readable medium, a computer-readable storage medium, or any suitable combination thereof) and which may perform one or more of the methods discussed herein in whole or in part. ). In particular, FIG. 8 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, including instructions 824 (e.g., software, programs, applications 240, applets, applications, or other executable code (E. G., A computer) that includes a processor (e.

In an alternate embodiment, the machine 800 may operate as a standalone device or be connected (e.g., networked) to another machine. In network provisioning, the machine 800 may operate as a peer machine under the performance of a server machine or client machine in a server-client network environment, or in a distributed (e.g., peer-to-peer) network environment. The machine 800 may include hardware, software, or a combination thereof and may be, for example, a server computer, a client computer, a personal computer (PC), a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a netbook, a cellular phone, Which can execute instructions 824 that specify actions to be taken by the STB, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a web appliance, a network router, a network switch, a network bridge or the machine in a sequential or other manner Lt; / RTI > Also, although only a single machine 800 is shown, the term "machine" is intended to encompass any or all of the instructions (824) executing individually or jointly to perform any or all of the one or more methodologies discussed herein Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > 800 < / RTI >

The machine 800 may be coupled to a processor 802 (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a radio frequency integrated circuit, A main memory 804, and a static memory 806, which are configured to communicate with each other via a bus 808. [ The processor 802 may include microcircuits configured to be temporarily or permanently configured by some or all of the instructions 824 such that the processor 802 may perform one or more of the methodologies described herein as a whole And may be configured to perform partially. For example, a set of one or more microcircuits of processor 802 may be configured to execute one or more modules (e.g., software modules) described herein.

The machine 800 may also be coupled to a video display 810 such as a plasma display panel PDP, a light emitting diode (LED) display, a liquid crystal display (LCD), a projector, a cathode ray tube (CRT) All displays). The machine 800 may include an alphanumeric input device 812 (e.g., a keyboard or keypad), a cursor control device 814 (e.g., a mouse, touchpad, trackball, joystick, motion sensor, a storage unit 816, a signal generating device 818 (e.g., a sound card, an amplifier, a speaker, a headphone jack or any suitable combination thereof), and a network interface device 820. [

The storage unit 816 includes a machine-readable medium 822 (e.g., type and non-volatile machine-readable storage medium) in which instructions 824 implementing any one or more of the methodologies or functions described herein are stored For example, any of the descriptions of Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and / or 7. The instructions 824 may reside completely or at least partially in the main memory 804 prior to or during execution by the machine 800, within the processor 802 (e.g., in the cache memory of the processor) have. The instruction 824 may also reside in the static memory 806.

Thus, main memory 804 and processor 802 may be considered machine-readable media 822 (e.g., type and non-volatile machine-readable media). The instructions 824 may be transmitted or received via the network 826 via the network interface device 820. [ For example, network interface device 820 may communicate instructions 824 using any one or more transport protocols (e.g., Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP)). The machine 800 may represent exemplary means for performing any of the functions described herein, including the processes described in Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and /

In some exemplary embodiments, the machine 800 may be a portable computing device, such as a smartphone or tablet computer, and has one or more additional input components (e.g., sensors or gauges) not shown. Examples of such input components include an image input component (e.g., one or more cameras), an audio input component (e.g., a microphone), a directional input component (e.g., a compass), a location input component, a directional component (e.g., one or more gyroscopes ), Motion detection components (e.g., one or more accelerometers), an altitude detection component (e.g., altimeter), and a gas detection component (e.g., a gas sensor). Inputs collected by one or more of these input components may be accessible and usable by any of the modules described herein.

The term "memory" as used herein refers to a machine-readable medium 822 that is capable of temporarily or permanently storing data, and includes RAM, read-only memory (ROM) Memory, but is not limited thereto. Although the machine-readable medium 822 is depicted as an exemplary embodiment that is a single medium, the term "machine-readable medium" refers to a medium, such as a single medium or medium (e.g., A distributed database or associated cache and server). The term "machine-readable medium" may include any medium or combination of media capable of storing instructions 824 for execution by machine 800, When executed by one or more processors of a processor (e.g., processor 802), causes machine 800 to perform, in whole or in part, one or more of any of the methodologies described herein. Thus, "machine-readable medium" refers to a single storage device or device as well as a cloud-based storage system or storage network including a plurality of storage devices or devices. Thus, the term "machine-readable medium" or "computer-readable medium" refers to any medium that can be read by one or more types of (e.g., non-volatile or nonvolatile) media in the form of solid state memory, optical media, magnetic media, But may also include, but are not limited to, a data store. The computer or machine readable medium may comprise a transient medium or transmission medium such as a signal transmitted over a network.

In this specification, a plurality of examples may implement an implementation component, operation or structure described in a single example. Although the individual operations of one or more methods are shown and described as separate operations, one or more of the individual operations may be performed at the same time, and none require that the operations be performed in the order shown. The structure and function presented as separate components in the example configuration may be implemented as a combined structure or component. Likewise, the structure and function presented as a single component can be implemented as separate components. These and other variations, modifications, additions, and improvements fall within the scope of the subject matter herein.

Certain embodiments are described herein as including logic or a number of components, modules, or mechanisms. The module may comprise a software module (e.g., code stored in machine-readable medium 822 or transmission medium or otherwise implemented), a hardware module, or any suitable combination thereof. A "hardware module" is a type of (e.g., non-temporary) unit that can perform a particular task and may be configured or arranged in a particular physical manner. In various exemplary embodiments, one or more computer systems (e.g., a standalone computer system, a client computer system, or a server computer system) or one or more modules of a computer system (e.g., processor or processor group 802) (E.g., application 140 or application portion) as a hardware module that operates to perform certain tasks,

In some embodiments, the hardware modules may be implemented mechanically, electronically, or any suitable combination thereof. For example, a hardware module may include dedicated circuitry or logic that is permanently configured to perform a particular task. For example, the hardware module may be a special purpose processor such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) or ASIC. A hardware module may include programmable logic or circuitry that is temporarily configured by software to perform certain tasks. For example, the hardware module may include software included in the general purpose processor 802 or other programmable processor 802. [ It will be appreciated that, in a mechanically, permanently configured dedicated circuit, or in a transiently configured circuit (e.g., composed of software), the decision to implement the hardware module may be driven by cost and time considerations.

Accordingly, the phrase "hardware module" should be understood to include a type of entity, and such entity may be physically configured, permanently configured (e.g., hardwired) , Programmed) to operate in a particular manner or perform certain tasks as described herein. As used herein, a "hardware-implemented module" means a hardware module. Considering embodiments in which hardware modules are temporarily configured (e.g., programmed), each of the hardware modules need not be configured or illustrated at any one time. For example, when a hardware module includes a general-purpose processor 802 configured to be a special-purpose processor by software, the general-purpose processor 802 may be coupled to a different special purpose processor (e.g., . ≪ / RTI > Thus, software (e.g., a software module) may configure one or more processors 802 to configure a particular hardware module, e.g., in one time instance, and a different hardware module in a different time instance.

A hardware module can exchange information with other hardware modules. Thus, the described hardware modules may be considered to be communicatively connected. If multiple hardware modules are present at the same time, communication may be accomplished between two or more hardware modules or through signal transmission therebetween (e.g., via appropriate circuitry and buses). In embodiments where a plurality of hardware modules are configured or illustrated at different times, communication between such hardware modules may be accomplished through storage and retrieval of information in a memory structure that is accessed by, for example, a plurality of hardware modules. For example, one hardware module may perform an operation and store the output of the operation in a communicatively coupled memory device. The additional hardware module may then access the memory device to retrieve and process the stored output. A hardware module may initiate communication with an input or output device and may operate on a resource (e.g., a collection of information).

The various tasks of the exemplary methods described herein may be performed, at least in part, by one or more processors 802 that are configured temporarily or permanently (e.g., by software) to perform the associated tasks. Whether temporarily configured or permanently configured, such a processor 802 may configure a processor implementation module that operates to perform one or more tasks or functions described herein. As used herein, a " processor implementation module "refers to a hardware module implemented using one or more processors 802.

Likewise, the methods described herein may be implemented, at least in part, in a processor, and processor 802 is an example of hardware. For example, at least some of the work of the method may be performed by one or more processors 802 or processor implementation modules. As used herein, a " processor implementation module "refers to a hardware module in which the hardware includes one or more processors 802. In addition, the one or more processors 802 may operate to support the performance of associated operations in a " cloud computing "environment or as" software as a service "(SaaS). For example, at least some of the tasks may be performed on a machine having those operations accessible via the network 826 (e.g., the Internet) and one or more appropriate interfaces (e.g., application program interfaces (APIs) (E. G., As an example of the computer system 800).

The performance of a particular operation may be distributed among the one or more processors 802 that are present in a single machine 800 as well as across multiple machines 800. [ In some example embodiments, one or more processors 802 or processor implementation modules may be located in a single geographic location (e.g., in a home environment, office environment, or server farm). In other exemplary embodiments, one or more processors 802 or processor implementation modules may be distributed across multiple geographic locations.

Some of the topics discussed herein may be presented in terms of algorithms or symbolic representations of operations on data stored as bits or binary digital signals in a machine memory (e.g., computer memory). These algorithms or symbolic representations are examples of techniques used by those skilled in the data processing arts to convey their work to the ordinary artisans of the art. As used herein, an "algorithm" is a consistent sequence or similar processing of an operation that leads to a desired result. In this context, algorithms and operations involve physical manipulation of physical quantities. Typically, but not necessarily, such quantities may take the form of electrical, magnetic, or optical signals that can be stored, accessed, transmitted, combined, compared, or otherwise manipulated by machine 800. Words such as "data", "content", "bit", "value", "component", "symbol", "character", "term", "numbers", " The use of these signals to refer to them is often convenient, mainly due to common usage reasons. However, these words are merely convenient signs and should be related to appropriate physical quantities.

Unless otherwise noted, words such as "processing", "computing", "calculating", "determining", "presenting", "displaying" (E.g., volatile memory, non-volatile memory, or any suitable combination thereof), registers, or other physical components within the machine component that receive, store, transmit, or display information, May refer to an operation or process of the machine 800 that manipulates or transforms data expressed in terms of electrical, magnetic, or optical quantities. Also, unless otherwise stated, the terms "a" or " an ") are used herein to include one or more examples, as commonly used in the patent literature. Finally, as used herein, the term "or" means a non-exclusive "or"

The following enumerated description defines various exemplary embodiments of the methods, machine-readable media and systems (e.g., devices) discussed herein.

1. A computer implemented method comprising: accessing a product listing for a product of an online marketplace provided by a merchant in an online marketplace; accessing a first price for the product in the product listing provided by the merchant A first price for a product in a list of products provided by the seller; a second price for a product in a list of products that is applicable to a second group of users associated with an online marketplace, A second price that is discounted at a first price for a second group due to an intimacy relationship); a product listing of the product, the first information relating to the first price and the second information relating to the second price Product list) of the first group and a purchase proposal for the product based on the displayed product list A second computer-implemented method comprising: accessing the second price offer in a) of claim 2 from the buyer of the first or the second group of proposed price at from.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the second group comprises a nested micro marketplace group that is a subset of the first group of users.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 2, wherein the first group includes a second nested micromarket group that is a subset of users of the global user group associated with the online marketplace.

4. The computer implemented method according to any one of Description 1 to 3, wherein the discount associated with the second price includes a coupon or rebate for purchasing the second product from the seller at a reduced price.

5. The computer implemented method according to any one of Description 1 to 4, wherein the intimate relationship with the seller includes a standard buyer designation specified by the seller.

6. The computer implemented method according to any one of Description 1 to 4, wherein the intimate relationship with the seller includes information for determining that the second group of users belong to an organization in common with the seller.

7. The computer implemented method according to any one of Description 1 to 6, wherein the proposal to purchase the product includes a bid for the product in an online auction environment.

8. An apparatus comprising an input interface, an output interface, and at least one processor configured to perform any of the descriptions of claims 1 to 7.

9. A computer-readable medium, when executed by a processor, that is a computer readable medium embodying instructions for performing an operation including any of the explanations 1 through 7.

10. An apparatus, comprising: means for carrying out any of the explanations 1 to 7;

Claims (20)

As a method,
Accessing a product listing for a product of an online marketplace provided by the merchant in an online marketplace;
Accessing a first price for the product in the product listing provided by the seller, the first price being a price applicable to a first group of users associated with the online marketplace;
Determining that a buyer of the product is within a second group;
Accessing a second price for the product of the product listing provided by the seller, the second price being applicable to a second group of users associated with the online marketplace and providing a closeness affiliation A price discounted at the first price for the second group,
Displaying a product listing of the product to the buyer, the product listing comprising first information related to the first price and second information related to the second price,
≪ / RTI >
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the second group comprises a nested micromarket place group that is a subset of the first group of users
Way.
3. The method of claim 2,
Wherein the first group includes a second nested micromarket place group that is a subset of a user's global group associated with the online marketplace
Way.
The method according to claim 1,
The discount associated with the second price includes a coupon or rebate for purchasing a second product from the seller at a reduced price
Way.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the intimate relationship with the seller includes a standard buyer designation specified by the seller
Way.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the intimate relationship with the seller includes information determining that the user of the second group belongs to an organization in common with the seller
Way.
The method according to claim 1,
A purchase offer for the product includes a bid for the product in an online auction situation
Way.
As a system,
A memory,
And a processor coupled to the memory,
The processor
The online marketplace provides access to product listings for the products of the online marketplace provided by the seller,
Accessing a first price for the product of the product listing provided by the seller, the first price being a price applicable to a first group of users associated with the online marketplace,
Accessing a second price for the product of the product listing provided by the seller, the second price being applicable to a second group of users associated with the on-line marketplace, and having an intimate relationship with the seller of the product A price discounted at said first price for said second group,
Displaying the product listing of the product on a display device, the product listing including first information related to the first price and second information related to the second price,
Based on the displayed list of products, a purchase offer for the product, the offer may include a proposal at a first price from the first buyer of the first group or a second price from a second buyer to the second group Which is a proposal in the < RTI ID = 0.0 >
system.
9. The method of claim 8,
Wherein the second group comprises a nested micromarket place group that is a subset of the first group of users
system.
10. The method of claim 9,
Wherein the first group includes a second nested micromarket place group that is a subset of a user's global group associated with the online marketplace
system.
9. The method of claim 8,
The discount associated with the second price includes a coupon or rebate for purchasing a second product from the merchant at a reduced price
system.
9. The method of claim 8,
Wherein the intimate relationship with the seller includes a standard buyer designation specified by the seller
system.
9. The method of claim 8,
The intimacy relationship with the seller includes information determining that the user in the second group belongs to an organization in common with the seller.
system.
9. The method of claim 8,
The purchase proposal for the product includes a bid for the product in an online auction situation
system.
23. A computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause a task to be performed,
Wherein the command comprises:
Accessing a list of products for the products of the online marketplace provided by the seller,
Accessing a first price for the product in the product list provided by the merchant, the first price being a price applicable to a first group of users associated with the online marketplace;
Accessing a second price for the product from the product listing provided by the seller, the second price being applicable to a second group of users associated with the on-line marketplace, and due to an intimate relationship with the merchant, A price discounted at the first price for the second group,
Displaying a product listing of the product, the product listing including first information related to the first price and second information related to the second price;
Accessing a purchase proposal for the product based on the displayed product list, the proposal comprising a proposal at the first price from the first buyer of the first group or a proposal at the first price from the second buyer of the second group Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > 2 < / RTI &
Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 >
Computer-readable medium.
16. The method of claim 15,
Wherein the second group comprises a nested micromarket place group that is a subset of the first group of users
Computer-readable medium.
17. The method of claim 16,
Wherein the first group includes a second nested micromarket place group that is a subset of a user of a user's global group associated with the online marketplace
Computer-readable medium.
16. The method of claim 15,
The discount associated with the second price includes a coupon or rebate for purchasing a second product from the merchant at a reduced price
Computer-readable medium.
16. The method of claim 15,
Wherein the intimate relationship with the seller includes a standard buyer designation specified by the seller
Computer-readable medium.
16. The method of claim 15,
Wherein the intimate relationship with the seller includes information determining that the user of the second group belongs to an organization in common with the seller
Computer-readable medium.

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